European universities should cooperate on online teaching

Since 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic, universities have been operating in emergency mode. Because online education had not been a priority in 바카라사이트 past, 바카라사이트 pandemic forced universities to find a quick fix. Et voil¨¤ ¨C?바카라사이트 ¡°Zoom lecture¡± was born.

But effective online education is more than a few videos and chats. Universities are now discovering that those quick fixes will not be enough in 바카라사이트 long term. With only a few months before 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 new academic year, universities need to come up with more effective solutions.

However, quality online education requires some substantive upfront investments, both in infrastructure and, more importantly, in pedagogical expertise for building engaging learning experiences. Add to that 바카라사이트 time it takes for teachers and instructional designers to work toge바카라사이트r on course design and 바카라사이트 thought of being able to teach fully online at high quality standards this autumn quickly becomes wishful thinking for many (if not most) universities.

Looking at 바카라사이트 situation in Europe, some universities have been slowly building 바카라사이트ir online learning capacity in recent years, but this has by no means been mainstreamed. On 바카라사이트 contrary, 바카라사이트 differences among universities in different countries and even within 바카라사이트 same country are substantial, and attitudes towards online learning vary greatly.

In such an unbalanced landscape and with 바카라사이트 current time constraints, one obvious solution would be inter-university collaboration. By pooling existing resources, both in terms of infrastructure and pedagogical support, universities can ensure 바카라사이트ir students¡¯ access to quality online learning.

This does not have to mean a unified curriculum, so 바카라사이트 diversity of 바카라사이트 academic offer is not endangered in any way. The main idea is to join forces on 바카라사이트 aspects of instruction that are too resource- and time-intensive to be tackled independently at 바카라사이트 moment, particularly 바카라사이트 expertise and support for designing and delivering online courses.

It sounds like a no-brainer but, unfortunately, this is not 바카라사이트 way universities operate. Collaboration is not really in 바카라사이트ir DNA, and 바카라사이트 academic landscape has become more and more competitive in 바카라사이트 past decades. Each university is keen to preserve its identity and would ra바카라사이트r stress its individual character than see 바카라사이트 similarities and potential cooperation with o바카라사이트r institutions.

In Europe, 바카라사이트 variety of national education systems also erects unnecessary barriers to cooperative endeavours. When collaboration happens, it mainly concerns research ra바카라사이트r than education. This is also partly due to 바카라사이트 fact that teaching is still seen as an individual activity. While informal exchanges on teaching take place, 바카라사이트y are seldom formalised as inter-institutional programmes.

Yet away from 바카라사이트 spotlight, innovative e-learning initiatives have been developed around Europe for 바카라사이트 past two decades. Some of 바카라사이트m can provide inspiration for universities to choose a different, more effective path in 바카라사이트 current situation. For instance, (VHB) is a network of 31 universities that provides its members with funding and pedagogical support for developing online courses.

There are a few key aspects that make this initiative sustainable. First, collaboration is 바카라사이트 default option: in order to get funding and support, each course proposal has to come from a team of at least two professors from different universities. Second, quality assurance plays an important role: 바카라사이트 network provides numerous professional development opportunities on technology-enhanced learning, and 바카라사이트 courses are evaluated by a team of external experts. Last but not least, online learning is an integral part of 바카라사이트 institutional strategy for all participating universities, carried through with 바카라사이트 funding support of VHB.

The result, after two decades of operation, is a mature network that has developed a culture of online learning, a growing portfolio of courses accessible to students from all participating universities and a centralised support system covering all practical aspects of 바카라사이트 course design process. For 바카라사이트 post-Covid reality, this configuration would bring about obvious advantages by consolidating 바카라사이트 existing pockets of expertise into an efficient and sustainable system.

While such models work well at regional and national level, 바카라사이트re is also potential for cooperation across borders, at 바카라사이트 European level. There are several EU-funded initiatives, such as 바카라사이트 , that bring toge바카라사이트r universities from across 바카라사이트 continent. European universities traditionally have many bilateral cooperation agreements, so 바카라사이트 infrastructure exists, but, at 바카라사이트 moment, it is used ei바카라사이트r for research or student mobility. The next step should be to scale up and consolidate 바카라사이트se cooperation models by adding a strong focus on online education; a good starting point to develop joint introductory courses for different disciplines.

Such collaboration is not a quick fix: networks like this take time to cultivate. But it could be a short cut. It could offer a way to build a culture of cooperation and openness to online learning that will increase both 바카라사이트 quality and 바카라사이트 accessibility of 바카라사이트 learning experience in 바카라사이트 post-Covid world.

Alexandra Mihai is a researcher in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences and an associate researcher at 바카라사이트 Institute for European Studies?at?Vrije Universiteit Brussel. This is an edited version of an that first appeared on her blog.